Barclays could take a leading role in lending money to potential buyers of one of its own businesses as the bank looks to avoid falling into government ownership.

In a sign of its eagerness to shore up its financial position and avoid following rivals Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group into some kind of state ownership, Barclays is believed to be considering putting up a majority of the financing required to buy its US-based unit iShares.

This would put the buyer in the curious position of borrowing most of the money for the acquisition from the same bank from which it was buying the asset.

Barclays could announce the sale of the division - thought to be worth up to £4bn - as early as this week as it continues talks about whether to participate in a government scheme to insure toxic assets.